Perfect Strangers (Updated)
by NyteGale
Summary: This one is for fans of the Billie and the big bad Wolf trilogy. A prequel describing events where the two met a long time ago. If you haven't read the other; reading this one may be a little hard to understand. Reviews are appreciated. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay; I know I promised you a one-shot but... its running longer than I anticipated and i think it would benefit from being split up. So next chapter will most likely be the last; this will definatley not exceed three chapters however. I hope you enjoy the prequel as much as you did the original... And if you are reading this first; well... critique me please! I love it, even bad critiques.**

* * *

_**J**__**ames******__ McCloud narratin_g: "When Billie first decided it was time to distance herself from me, the day was bright and warm: not really ideal for such a sad state of affairs. But the fact of the matter is, if I had known then what I know now… the sunny mood would have been just right. But it can be hard to maintain hope, if you don't know the outcome of the story…

"_**Now keep in mind, most stories throughout Lylat; and whatever system the people who see this testament are from have a basic formula. A beginning, middle and an end… Well, this is not one of those stories. This is one, which has many tied little threads that go beyond what most people… even those involved know.**_

"_**Every now and then, things can get tossed out of balance by the selfishness of an individual… Like Andross, and even like Billie's old headmistress… This causes a ripple that can have effect on a great number of people; even almost a century down the line. For those of you that thought the story of my son Fox began on the day he was born, well you would be wrong. Fact of the matter is; his story really began the day General Pepper decided to banish Andross to Venom.**_

"_**And as for those of you who may have thought the story of my good friend Billie began nearly 100 years ago the day she was born… or even the day she was sitting in that bar trying to drink away her problems, get some fast cash and her gruff future walked into the bar for information. Again you would be mistaken. Nahh, Billie and Wolf's stories both began at the same time, the first time they met… Not surprised they don't remember though; Wolf was such a little tike then. And Billie… well she had more important things to focus on. But I'm getting ahead of myself… strap yourselves in my friends; this is quite a tale…**_

"_**You see Billie had been called out by a reliable connection that there was quite a fat payday on its way to Corneria. As for the mood here, well the weather was acting a bit more in place as the rain pounded down on those cold streets…"**_

Billie walked on through the night in a long black hooded coat; it draped her body, covering her from view, and created a veil of shadow over her face that also helped to keep off the rain. She trudged along the streets at around 2:00 a.m.; the only time her contact would dare to show himself, her breath rose up into the air visible for just a few moments in the slight cold the deluge had brought with itself.

She came to a stop in front of what used to be one of her favorite places: the Cornerian Flight Academy. Back on better looking days she would often wait for him at the gate as to exchange their daily lessons with one another. But that had been short lived when people became curious as to who James was going to meet every day. The rain pounded down on the building, and the yellow glow of the street lights gave everything an eerie shine in the darkness. She looked at the basic Arwing models, glowing with the wet cold like everything else… allowing the racing thoughts that plagued her so to settle on fondness for a moment, but only for a moment at a time could she ever find relief from them.

She let out a long sigh… the kind of sigh that came from a hard life, a hard life that had no friends or family to alleviate the stress for very long. Sometimes she felt as though the Shadow Legions she had left behind on that horrid moon were laughing at her; laughing at the great array of misfortunes that she had brought upon herself in leaving.

She returned her gaze to the wet sidewalk and picked up a steady stride forward. She made her way through the alley ways that the faint of heart would never travel to; the ones that you could just tell led to a bad neighborhood. She walked on through the outskirts of the bad neighborhood which were never as bad as what lied deeper within… She didn't even bat an eye as she strode on past a dismal looking orphanage: as if there was any other kind.

"_**Now what Billie didn't know, was at that very moment, on the second floor, in his sleep there was a young, violet eyed lupine; clutching a golden pendant tight to his chest… After all, this was the closest thing that the kid had to any manner of family. And Billie, well she carried her emblem in her coat pocket at that time, I'm sure you are familiar with her strange antique comb… but I digress."**_

After leaving the slumped looking building behind she continued her way in; eventually making it to a warehouse district that was not in use anymore… At least not by anyone there to make an honest living. She stopped at the one labeled 14 B; this was the place, she tried the door… locked, but made of inferior wood at least. She took a step back and kicked it in. It fell into the room with a clatter to the floor, and she let herself in.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Said a hushed voice from within.

"Took the long way…" Billie said with her falling out with James still fresh on her brain.

"_**At this point in time, she no longer kept up with me; had no idea I had a son… a son that would become a classmate of the very same lupine asleep in that dingy orphanage." **_

"Well I can't afford to be here much longer!" Said the shadowed figure in a hushed scream.

"If Dexter finds out I'm here he's going to put me on the chopping block. Just take this…" The figure said handing her a memory chip that would become out dated in about ten more years.

"This has every loose end we discussed on it?" Billie asked taking it, and then the figure backed up towards the exit opposite the one she came in through.

"Yes. Every bit. Do not try to contact me again; we have never met bounty hunter, got it?" The figure said in a hushed whisper.

"As promised, I will over look your bounty in the future." Billie nodded. Then she turned back out into the rain and left as quickly as she had come.

* * *

"Hey Wolf get up!" said a small child's voice.

Wolf felt a pillow smack him in the face, and blinked his blurred eyes open.

"Come on, if you don't get up Charlie is gonna have a fit." Said the little raccoon looking up at his fellow orphan.

"Yeah okay…" Wolf said in a small but still gruff voice rubbing his eyes.

Charlie, her full name Charlotte Miller was the large black bear who ran the orphanage; she wasn't mean, quite the contrary. Most of the kids loved her, however if kids weren't up and chores weren't done on time she could get a little testy. Wolf tucked his pendant into his baggy hand me down shirt and made his bed along with the other boys in the room.

"Let's go get food!" Said the small raccoon to Wolf.

"Wait up Ralph!" Wolf called after him; Ralph was the youngest boy there, only like seven years old. So all of the other boys were nice to him, and Wolf went out of his way to keep an eye on him.

After the boys had stuffed themselves with the tasteless food, they walked off to the public elementary school five blocks away. Wolf stuck close to Ralph as usual.

"Now you boys be careful!" Charlie called in her booming voice; the voices of bears really did carry a ways. They walked away from the slumped looking building that had '_Mrs. Miller's home for boys' _painted in calligraphy over the double doorway.

"You know you are starting to sound like Charlie." Ralph laughed to Wolf as they walked across the sidewalks with the other boys.

"What do yah mean?" Wolf asked in a sort of developing accent, which would eventually be the way he always spoke.

"Like that!" Ralph said pointing at him. "Yah tawk like thiiis." Ralph continued.

"Yeah, he's right!" Said an avian boy about Wolf's age.

"That's only because Wolf has been here longer than anyone else." Said a tall tree frog boy.

"Oh what the fuck ever." Wolf said getting aggravated.

"OOOOOOOH" All the boys stopped and said.

"Wolf said a swear!" Ralph laughed.

"When are yah gonna grow up guys." Wolf said, wanting his time in that orphanage to come to an end.

"We will when we get adopted!" Said some sort of chestnut canine boy as they turned a corner.

"Awww!" Wolf stopped in his tracks and looked at the flight academy gates. "Now that's the life!" He said grabbing Ralph's hand and running up to the gates to get a look at the Arwings.

"You always say that though… you should be a pilot!" Ralph said.

"I **am** going to be a pilot…" Wolf said gazing on at the students in the academy with determined violet eyes. "And I'll fly way away from Corneria… and this stupid place." He said clenching his fists.

"Ouch you're squishing my hand." Ralph said.

"Sorry!" Wolf said and let go.

"Hey you guys! You can't be late!" Called the tree frog across the street.

"I know damnit! Come on." Wolf said and snatched Ralphs hand back up tugging him along so they wouldn't get separated.

When they finally arrived at the school the boys all ran off to their various classes. Wolf walked on with Ralph for one reason…

"Hey skuz buckets!" Said a tall hyena boy.

Ralph hid behind Wolf; who had begun walking Ralph to his class every morning after this kid had beat him up.

"Oh look, you still have your body guard. No worries he's just as poor as you. And with a stupid name like Wolf; gosh he's begging for it even harder." He sneered.

"Ralph, go to class." Wolf ordered.

"But…" Ralph argued since the last time Wolf fought the bully he lost, badly.

"I said go." Wolf said snappishly. Ralph turned and ran to his classroom while looking over his shoulder.

"You know something… I really hate people like you." Wolf said.

"OOOOOH tough guy." Said the bully with a hyenas laugh.

"Yeah, people who think just because they have a physical advantage they can just do whatever they want to smaller kids! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Wolf said running at him.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" All of the students gathered around the two chanting.

The hyena ran right at Wolf in turn, and they started throwing fists. Wolf slammed his fist into the bullies' head and sent him back a little, but hurt Wolf's fist as well. He dodged the bully's right hook, but took his left to the face. He fell back a ways, and then with a the rush of adrenaline that he would one day learn to savor like a drug; he tackled the bully down to the ground, they tumbled around until Wolf was on top. Wolf laid a barrage of punches into his face.

"Leave" punch "Ralph" punch "alone" punch "jackass!" But before he could land his last punch, a teacher grabbed him under the arms and pulled him off of the bully.

"That is enough!" Said the white feline teacher holding the enraged Wolf back from the bully with the bloody nose.

"Call Mrs. Miller!" She called to another teacher over the mass of scattering students who didn't want to get in trouble.

* * *

"Billie?" She heard a feminine voice calling.

She looked around at the blackness she was engulfed in and saw a strange figure moving in it.

"Wake up!" She heard the voice call as a chill spread through her bones.

Billie's head shot off of her pillow; her hair bunched up and tangled every which way and she looked over at the big pair of green eyes looking down on her.

"You know Billie if you are going to sleep all day you should at least sleep in your ship so I don't have to tip-toe around you…" Said a pretty blue peacock through a sleek black avian smile that tugged up at the edges of her mouth.

"Sorry Grace; it was pouring last night and... wait, I don't have to explain myself to you!" Billie said tossing her pillow at the blue bird that had turned around to snoop through a desk drawer.

Grace let it hit her in the shoulder without even flinching.

"And why are you digging through my crap?" Billie said tossing herself back onto the bed.

Grace didn't answer; Billie just stared on in aggravation. Now it is important to note that in the world of avians, the males were always colored more brightly; and with more distinguishing feathers. Particularly with peacocks the males were always so vibrantly blue with those intense green feathered tails. Grace, had a blue face that made her green eyes stand out well, however past her shoulders and chest her feathers became a coco brown color, and although her tail was considerably smaller and less vibrant than that of a males, her hair was a rather luscious brown with two of those trademark peacock eye feathers trailing off to the left side of her face.

Grace always wore blue; to try and make up for the lack of it over her body. Her tail was a deep black that matched her ashen black avian legs which Billie always thought were her best feature. In combat Grace would rely mainly on martial arts involving kicks, which is why she had to cover her long lovely legs all the time with her steel-toed combat boots.

Billie let out a long sigh and shot up, she needed a shower anyways. On the way out of the room she gave grace a slap on the back of the head for not answering her.

_**Grace had bumped into Billie on the job… they were both after the same bounty; while the guy tried to get away during their argument they both beat the shit out of him and really hit it off. Billie had been wanting to move her main base of operations so I would have no way of locating her… after our little spat her nightmares had returned worse than ever; I suppose that was what unnerved her more than anything. Billie always had to run from her troubles; ever since she was a child. But that is neither here nor there. She had been running back and forth from her old base moving her things; and she was edgy because she was hoping that I wouldn't show up there one day looking for her… well, the little argument we had; was not the last time we spoke. Not to mention trying to take Grace the much younger less skilled bounty hunter under her wing was another task in itself.**_

"Grace I've told you; if we are going to be living under one roof you are gonna have to stop rifling through my shit!" Billie said snatching her comb up and dragging it through her wet locks.

"But you said you would show me your tech!" She said through hopeful emerald eyes.

"And you never even told me if about how the rendezvous with your man on the inside went. Was the info good?" Grace said still looking for the chip.

"It's in my ship if you are still looking for it there; and I have to go get more of my stuff…" Billie concluded walking out of the room.

"Hey! Billie that's not fair we are supposed to do everything 50/50, remember?" Grace called after her with feathers ruffled in aggravation.

"I said 70\30…" Billie called from the bathroom.

"Well we agreed on 60\40!" Grace banged on the door in a huff.

"Who the hell said 50\50 then?" Billie asked with a giggle.

"Radical Billie my ass…" Grace mumbled crossing her feathered arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry; what nickname did they give you?" Billie said emerging from the bathroom fully dressed.

"Gee… I can't remember ANYTHING." Billie said with her finger on her chin, her ears bent back and her eyes looking up in sarcastic thought.

"Uck!" Grace said as her plumage popped up in annoyance.

Bounty hunters never could get along very well… Grace mostly put up with Billie because she was a damn gold mine at the time. Plus; back in those days every bounty hunter on Corneria would give an arm and a leg to be trained by the famous bounty hunter who came from somewhere outside of Lylat; that was the only truth to any of the rumors that swarmed about her.

The bounty hunter in question had not changed her fashion sense in the least for about 50 years. In her black buckled combat boots and matching black and white casuist she made her way out to her baby. She grabbed a tattered black hood that wrapped around her neck like a scarf and slung it over her ears as she made her slow stride; the hood cast a decent enough shadow over her face that she could completely black it out with shadow lace if she needed to not be recognized.

"Awww did you miss me? I missed you too baby…" She said listening to engine roaring to life.

Every time Devin's old engine came to life she could feel her own energy pulsating through the machine giving it her own breath of life; it truly was her baby.

"So what am I supposed to do while you're gone?" Grace said looping her hair around one feathered finger looking rather bored.

"I don't care; as long as it doesn't involve going through my stuff…" Billie said as her canopy came to a close.

* * *

"Wolf I'm happy that you decided to walk your little friend to class; but this can't continue…" Said the principal; a white Scottie in a bad plaid suit.

"He started it!" Wolf cried in his defense.

The white cat standing next to the principals desk looked at him and as she spoke;

"It's true; my student Ralph told me all about it-"

"Yeah, and you guys didn't do nuthin' about that asshole!" Wolf spat crossing his arms.

"WOLF O'DONNELL!" He heard a loud angry voice say.

He turned around with wide eyes and saw Charlie standing in the doorway.

"Boy how many time have I told yah not to be usin' language like that?!" She said marching up to him and giving him a little slap on the back of the head.

"Sorry Charlie…" He gruffed rubbing his head.

"Sit down Miss Miller…" The principal said getting up and gesturing with his arm.

"Now Wolf is right, nothing was done before because Ralph refused to talk about what he saw-"

"Because he's scared!" Wolf argued getting angrier.

"Calm down…" Said the feline teacher in a soothing way placing a hand on Wolf's shoulder.

"However…" The principal continued clearing his throat. "In light of recent events, we are going to be suspending the other student involved; and we have told his parents about his behavior. But that doesn't change the fact that you were involved therefore you will be going home early today…"

Charlie let out a sigh of relief, and the white cat pointed to her watch looking at the Scottie and clicked on her very high heels out of the room.

"Now Mr. O'Donnell; while it's a good thing you were trying to help Ralph I must ask you… not to get yourself sent to my office again. Understand?"

Wolf just slumped down in his chair feeling the unfairness of it all sink in.

"Mr. O'Donnell?" The principal pressed.

"Got it…" Wolf said flatly.

Charlie walked with Wolf down the blocks back to the house.

"Boy; you sure do attract alota trouble." She said with a boisterous laugh.

"I had to do something!" Wolf said looking up to his guardian.

"Ralph still won't talk to the other kids… and they keep picking on him for it."

"So what are you gonna to do boy? Fight all of his battles for him?" She said realistically.

"No! But yah can't rely on adults for help! I'm trying to teach him to stick up for himself."

"By fighting all of his battles for him?"

Wolf stopped in his tracks realizing how stupid it sounded.

"Wolf, you're still the only person he speaks to; not the other boys, not even to me. And when people come looking to adopt; they don't want to choose Ralph because of that. If you really want to help him, show him how to start speaking to others…how to be more open to the world around himself." Charlie said putting a hand on Wolf's back and pushing him along.

"I'll… try…" Wolf said realizing how right Charlie was.

"But as my own personal form of punishment… You are going to be doing chores until the other boys get home." She said with a big grin.

But Wolf was distracted by a whizzing sound; he looked up overhead and saw a weird ship flying overhead. It was black and white and didn't look like an Arwing at all, it didn't even sound like an Arwing. Then it zoomed on into the distance and was gone.

"You listenin' boy?" Charlie said pulling him out of the thought.

"Yeah…" He said wondering where that ship had come from. It was not Cornerian standard issue at all.

"I wunna be a pilot…" He whispered to himself looking at where it had vanished over the flight academy.

Charlie shook her head looking at the small lupine dream gazing; she never did understand how he had so much trouble getting adopted after all this time. He was a smart kid.

* * *

Overhead in the very ship he had admired Billie zoomed forward until the city had turned into jungle below. When the city was small out in the distance, rain began with a drizzle. She hated piloting in the rain, it made it difficult to see and created turbulence; after all, the vehicle she was in really was designed for space.

The rain started to pick up; to thunder down over the jungle in large round drops creating varieties of soothing noises. And after some slight aggravation of piloting through it she came upon her old hidden base and touched down to the soft mud.

Not wanting to get drenched she made a dash from her ship to the side door of the place, and flicked on the lights once she was in. Pulling her hood down with a sigh, she whipped the water off of her tail then looked up. She nearly fell backwards with a yelp of surprise. Clutching the door behind her and her own chest she looked at the figure sitting on her packing boxes and put on an angry; but funny face.

"What are you doing here James?! I didn't see your ship outside? WHY ARE YOU SNEAKING UP ON PEOPLE; WHAT, WHAT, WHAT?" she yelped repeatedly in a fluster.

"If my just sitting here surprised you than I think you've lost a few steps since we last spoke two months ago…"

"Well shit!" Billie said recomposing herself. "I didn't see your Arwing outside."

For a minute they sat and stood as the rain and thunder filled the silence of the room.

"So what are you doing here?" Billie said shooing him off of a packing box.

"Well, I came here a few days ago hoping to patch things up and… saw the moving supplies; you weren't here. I'm embarrassed to say I waited around all day. And as for the reason you didn't see my ship was because I followed you here; I saw you flying over the city and knew that model anywhere."

"Oh…" She said tossing some tools into a metal box.

"So, you have moved some place to get away from me huh?" James said sounding disappointed.

"Not you in particular…" She said honestly; but still trying to be vague.

"Look Billie…" James sighed.

"I'm not joining your band of… whatever you're going to call it." She said quickly.

"It's not about that."

"Oh? Then why are you here?" She said folding up the top of a box full of crap.

_**Now let me pause it right here… At this point; I knew there was nothing I could do or say to change Billie's mind about moving on. What I didn't tell her was that I had looked into some old records while work was being done on the Great Fox… there had been a bounty hunter by the name of Billie Shade in the Lylat system a few years before… how many years before? Try 30. So at this point I knew there was something strange going on. And frankly, I knew she was going to keep moving and I merely wished to give her a Bon Voyage… Heh… I never was real good with goodbyes though…**_

"Billie, I just know that…" James looked for the next words; choosing each one carefully as he tried to be vague in his knowledge of her.

"You have managed to get along great all of this time so… wherever you wind up next; I wish you all the luck in the world old friend."

Billie's hands stopped at those words… this really was goodbye for the last time. She turned to say something; but James was already making his way to the front door. And when she opened her mouth to speak, he filled the silence in her stead:

"Just remember; to always follow your instincts. And don't stop moving."

And then James walked out into the rain and out of Radical Billie's life for the very final time. She stood there looking at the door for an amount of time that felt long but she didn't keep track of. She was alone in this world; yet again.

And yet again: it was her own doing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay I'm sorry I have been flaking with this one. But it's gonna be three chapters. Yeah I have too much back story bouncing around in my head (That I have come to think of as cannon) to do a one shot. Again sorry. Chapter three should be up soon; but if it isn't I apologize in advance.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Billie sat in her cockpit a long time; the storm had moved in over Corneria City; and she sat in the ship lot as the great parking clamps clasped her into place. Not all ship lots had machinery like this, mostly just places that were cramped for space. Still she sat in her sleeping ship, watching the rain pound down over her canopy… letting everything that had happened truly sink in for the first time. With the worn out look one sees in the eyes of someone who had very little sleep she managed to pull her gaze downward to the dash; she strummed the fingers of her right hand over it in thought.

'Could use a computer in here…'

She heaved a sigh out just a bit too loud, and then threw her hood over her head. Getting out of her baby she made her way through the rain.

"Well it's about time; honestly there's work to do." Grace said as Billie dripped her way into their base.

"Yeah, I got it right here…" Billie said unzipping the front of her cat suit, sliding the memory unit out from under her chest.

"Gimmie!" Grace said reaching for it.

"Why? So we can use it on your outdated piece o' crap you call a computer? No. I brought mine from my base." Billie said dangling the chip just out of the avians reach.

"Oh, can I see it?"

"Not only can you see it; but imma let you bring it in from my ship!" Billie said with a sarcastic sort of excitement.

* * *

Wolf looked over at the rain pouring down on the city, just outside of the porch he was on; overlooking the backyard of the orphanage. The water coming down in fat drops made the once grassy, weeded playground look shiny, and slick. The broom in his little hands kept on swooshing the bricks; pushing all of the dust and dirt out into the deluge as he looked like quite possibly the most bored canine in the Lylat system.

"Okay, you've suffered enough boy." Charlie said emerging from the back door.

"The other boys get out in about ten minutes, why don't you take them their umbrellas?" She said handing a bundle of them to him.

Wolf just nodded and kept staring at the ground. Charlie opened her mouth to say something, but Wolf made a quick stride into the building leaving her behind. The place was spotless from all the cleaning she had made him do, but he didn't care; he just wanted to talk to Ralph. After what Charlie had said to him he realized if he didn't want that kid to grow up to be more like himself; he had to get him to speak to others.

When Ralph emerged from his class he looked onward through the pounding rain to see a grey lupine under a black umbrella gazing back in his direction from his position on the sidewalk. With a wide grin Ralph ran through the droplets and found shelter under the same umbrella.

"Didn't you get in trouble?" Ralph asked as the other boys seized umbrellas from Wolf.

"Wolf?" He pushed again gazing up at the lupine's vacant expression.

"We gotta talk kiddo…" Wolf said a bit hoarsely over the noise of rain.

Putting a hand on the small boys shoulder Wolf began to walk Ralph home through the misty weather.

* * *

"Seriously?!" Grace cried with an angry squawk.

"Seems so…" Billie said calmly observing her computers projected screen.

"Surely he can't be serious? I mean what a dipshit move coming here while the heat is on him still!" Grace continued.

"I agree…" Billie said leaning back in her chair playing with her hair. "He's either more of a dumbass than I originally thought… or he's planning something."

"Or this info is shit!" The avian stomped away a bit antsy.

"No… the contact was a reliable one; especially with what I promised him." Billie continued putting her feet up.

"Why would he hold something like that in such a public place?" Grace turned her gaze back on the bored looking Billie.

"Well somewhere so public would discourage a firefight. And if the police show up he can easily be lost in the scramble of drunken club goers." Billie giggled to herself half-heartedly.

"Well only a dumbass would try to go after Tyson in the middle of a crowded club that is true…" Grace retorted.

"Yeah… what would a dumbass do?" Billie asked out loud; and then in her own mind asked the question she had truly been implying: 'What would James do?'

Billie sat there for a long moment making the same face she had worn when she told James off for the first and last time, and then she bit her lip and stared off into space.

"You okay?" Grace said raising an eyebrow.

"Uh… yeah. I'm gonna go get some take out." She said quickly and rose to her feet. Her voice was shaky as the entire weight of what she had done that afternoon came down to crush her chest.

* * *

"You are going to grow up just be thrown in the loony bin if you don't start talkin'" Wolf said looking down at the small boy pouting in his bed with his arms crossed.

Ralph looked like he was going to cry, and he turned towards the wall and continued to pout like small children do. Wolf sighed and sat down on the foot of the bed looking down at his feet; he didn't know what else to do. He had tried everything short of slapping Ralph around a little bit just to get him to open up to other people. And now he wouldn't even talk to Wolf.

"Look Ralph; you don't… want to be like me." Wolf began in earnest.

Ralph turned his still pouty gaze over his shoulder listening.

"Sitting around in this stupid place… getting into all kinds of trouble; knowing I'm too old to get adopted but still forced to stay here and watch all the other kids come and go. You aren't like me yet… But if you keeping sitting around not talking the days are gonna pass you by like they did me, and then you'll be all alone!" Wolf clenched his fists at these words so hard they hurt.

"And deep down you'll know the truth; no one wants you… no one needs you, you are just existing." The young Wolf refused to cry, he couldn't; he wasn't some kid anymore. But as Ralph looked on he could see his friend shaking, from the effort to not cry.

"So speak!" Wolf yelled shooting his body up. "Let them know you are here! And that you don't give a shit if they don't need you because you don't need them! You are going to fine without them. Get yourself out of here!" Wolf glared up at the ceiling, talking more about himself now than Ralph.

"My daddy used to talk a lot…" Ralph began in a small voice. "He would read me stories, and take us places… and then when mommy didn't wake up one day; he just stopped talking. Stopped doing anything, that's why the people came and took me here, because they said daddy couldn't take care of me anymore…"

Wolf's ears drooped as Ralphs dripping eyes looked up at him.

"Why didn't he try to stop them?" Ralph said in a shaky voice, and then he began to bawl loudly, covering his eyes with his fists as his nose began to drip.

Wolf hugged his small friend and gritted his teeth, trying to keep his own tears in check. He couldn't keep it up though, a few large drops dribbled from his eyes as he spoke.

"I don't know… But it's his loss." He said desperately trying to keep it together.

At that moment Charlie stopped in the doorway and looked in on the two silently.

Wolf continued unaware of her presence. "You have to think about your mom, she'd want you to be happy; to be with someone who really wants yah. That's why you gotta talk Ralph… get adopted, people adopt if they really want a kid; you can still wind up with parents who will fight for you."

Charlie let out a small sigh of relief and quietly closed the door on the two boys.

_**That rainstorm moved on in through the night over our sad two wolves. And with both of them leading the lives they did; the next day they would only find things to be getting worse on both ends… But that is a story for another day. **_

James looked out over Corneria City from a misty window, he moved his sunglasses to his forehead and stared down at the picture in his hands; it was Billie, leaning up against and Arwing with a grin on her face and James in a headlock. He was younger in this picture; it had been taken after she gave him one of his fist mechanical lessons at the flight academy. Several of the teachers insisted she try and get a job there in the engineering department. But she ducked out of it pretty fast.

'I can't believe I never noticed before…' James thought.

The way she bent over backwards to avoid large groups of people. And what's more the way she never seemed to look even one minute older; even after all the time they had known each other.

"Couldn't get her to go along with it?" A soft voice came from behind him.

"Nah… I realize now that there was no way she would ever agree to something like that." He chuckled looking over at his Vixxy, holding his son in her arms.

"That's too bad… do you really think that was the same Billie from 30 years ago?" She inquired looking at his photo.

"Has to be… the description of the ship, her fashion sense and fighting style all fit the Billie I know…"

"She's definitely not Lylatian then?" Vixxy asked with large doe eyes.

"No…" James said putting the photo down.

"Well then maybe it's better this way." She said handing Fox to her husband.

"How's that?" James asked making cute faces at his kit.

"Well if the government found out about her; and her age, and of course her extensive knowledge of strange machinery… they would probably confine her to a cage. Until they had taken every ounce of what she knows… then they would use her body to synthesize some kind of ageless serum."

"You've seen too many movies." James laughed.

"Oh come on James you know how the government is, that's why you are becoming a freelancer." Vixxy shot back to his crossing her arms.

"I mean no wonder she went to such extents to avoid them… Look at what they did to Andross." She continued.

James sighed long and hard.

"Well… maybe this whole thing **is** for the best then."

"Of course; you ought to know by now I'm always right."

"Yeah that's what Billie said to keep in mind if I asked you out." James laughed heartily.


End file.
